Mitigating Potential Impacts of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Wetland Ecosystems

Presented May 2, 2017 by:
Christy A. Morrissey, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biology/School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan
View the webinar at conservationwebinars.net to earn CEUs.
Participants will learn about opportunities to mitigate for potential risks of neonicotinoid insecticides to aquatic systems.
Neonicotinoids (neonics), a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine, were developed because they show much lower toxicity in mammals than previously used organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. Most neonics are water-soluble and breakdown slowly, so they can be taken up by plants to provide protection from insects as the plant grows. Foliar, soil and/or seed treatments are applied to a wide variety of crops including corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, oats, barley, potatoes, canola, and some fruits and vegetables in regions frequently draining into surface waters. Use of neonics is restricted in some countries because of concern about their toxicity to domestic bees, other beneficial insects, aquatic invertebrates, as well as the indirect food chain effects to birds and other wildlife. In this webinar, participants will learn about the agricultural uses of neonics, movement through the landscape and into aquatic systems, and demonstrated impacts on beneficial insects, aquatic organisms, and birds. The webinar will also describe measures to mitigate these impacts.
This webinar is presented by USDA NRCS Science and Technology.
Captions are automated, so transcription errors may exist.